Humanists Hawaii - Hawaii Humanists - Humanists Net

Humanists Hawaii 

NEWSLETTER ______ July 16, 2008 

Juel Makamae Gustafson 

Celebration of Juel’s life July 19th at 

Magic Island between 1:30pm and 3:30pm 

near Picnic Site #40. 

Longtime Humanist Hawaii member Juel Makamae 

Gustafson, age 81, died quietly and peacefully at St. 

Francis West Hospice, 7:30am, Saturday June 14. 

Juel was born in Milwaukee WI on December 30, 

1926, to Helen and Erwin Gustafson. She is survived 

by sons Dr. Randy Jackson (Kathleen) of Sammamish 

WA, Dr. Jon Jackson of Windsor CA; granddaughter 

Kendra Jackson-Mecham of Everett WA; and hanai 

kaikamahine Dr. Mary Holly Jackson-Sigman of Arroyo 

Grande CA. 

Juel attended USC in Los Angeles where she 

graduated cum laude and Phi Beta Kapa, while also 

working for the Douglas Aircraft factory in Santa 

Monica. She arrived in Hawaii in 1957 and earned an 

MS degree at the University of Hawaii. She taught 

music and Russian to students at Maunawili 

Elementary in Kailua before moving on to a 30-year 

teaching career at Lanikai Elementary. 

Juel enjoyed the arts: she was an accomplished 

photographer with the Zone XII Camera Club and she 

sang and played guitar with the feminist bluegrass 

group Disband. 

She was a world traveler – venturing as far as Tibet 

in her travels -- and a former board member of the 

Honolulu Memorial Society. 

A celebration of life gathering and outrigger puolu -scattering 

of ashes – is scheduled for July 19, 2008 

and Juel will be memorialized by an inscribed brick at 

Manoa Legacy Park on the UH campus. 

-- from Tributes web page 

Son Randy Jackson writes: 

Dear Friends and Family: 

. . . Many of us were surprised by how quickly 

events transpired . . . Ten days before she left us she 

told me she had ten days left. 

And mom was very pleased to have been able to 

arrange and preside over her own self-proclaimed 

"wake" at a post-Christmas party we helped organize 

last December; so much so that she crossed any other 

such events off her list of wishes. 

She did, however, allow that we were free to "do as 

we pleased" in putting together a remembrance event 

for all of us. Knowing that she was very moved by the 

outrigger canoe ceremony held many years ago for a 

dear friend . . . we plan to paddle an outrigger along 

the Ala Wai to bid her farewell at sea between Waikiki 

and Ala Moana beaches. 

Our plans for a celebration of mom's life on 

Saturday July 19th at Magic Island (Ala Moana Beach 

Park) in Honolulu: 

We will secure a picnic spot out on Magic Island in 

full view of the Ala Wai Channel. We plan to set up a 

10' X 10' canopy near a large shade tree. The canopy 

will be green and marked with white and green 

balloons. We will have tables and a few chairs, but you 

may want to bring a picnic blanket to sit on. Light 

pupu's and refreshments will be supplied. The time 

frame will be roughly between 1:30pm and 3:30pm, 

though we plan to be there most of the day to secure 

the site. 

The area we intend to set up in is near Picnic Site 

#40. From the Magic Island parking lot area, this is 

about half way down the walkway that runs along the 

Waikiki/Yacht Harbor side of Magic Island. With the 

green canopy and balloons we will be very easy to 

spot. This will be a very informal gathering, just as 

mom would want it. Dress casually and please feel 

free to stop by for however long or short a period of 

time that you are able. 

There will be an outrigger-based pulou scattering of 

her ashes, just beyond Magic Island. The puolu 

consists of her ashes wrapped in t-leaves and leis. 

The ashes sink to the bottom and the lei floats to the 

surface – we will be happy to accept any additional leis 

as we pass Magic Island, but we are not asking that 

you bring anything but your wonderful memories of 

Juel. The outrigger ceremony will be easy to observe 

from the Magic Island walkway. Even though the 

channel is typically quite busy with boat traffic, surfers, 

and outriggers we will make our own little space and 

hopefully the southerly ocean swell will not be very 

high. 

We plan to begin paddling from the Kapahulu end 

of the Ala Wai canal around 1pm. My brother, Jon, and 

I will be carrying the puolu and serving as working 

crew on the outrigger. This should get us to the Magic 

Island vicinity about 1:30pm. Soon thereafter, we will 

paddle back to the launch site and drive back to Magic 

Island, probably arriving between 2:30 and 3:00pm. 

Kathleen and Kendra will be overseeing the 

gathering during our absence, and hopefully we will be 

able to visit for awhile with everyone upon our return 

from paddling. 

I'm Looking forward to seeing some of you again 

very soon and sharing our wonderful memories of my 

mom, Juel Gustafson.

David Krupp and eco-science 

for local high schoolers 

Humanists Hawaii member David Krupp teaches 

marine biology and ecology at Windward Community 

College. June 30’s Honolulu Advertiser contained a 

story by Kelli Miura about the advanced eco-science 

summer program at the Pacific Center for 

Environmental Studies which he co-directs. Selected 

local high school students receive hands-on 

experience. The students have spent time in the 

classroom, the laboratory and in the field at the WCC 

and at the Hawaii Institution of Marine Biology on 

Coconut Island. 

HH members visited Coconut Island January 2005. 

The Institute on Coconut Island is where David Krupp 

and others have been conducting important work on 

the study and protection of coral reefs. Our tour 

acquainted us with those activities and with other 

areas of research conducted on the island. The high 

school students in the eco-science summer program 

there have replicated coral DNA which they plan to 

have sequenced to learn about diseases that affect 

coral. 

The next part of the students’ summer program is 

devoted to student research projects about the 

impacts of an ahupua'a on the adjacent coral reef 

environment, with assistance from research mentors. 

___________________________________________ 

Carolyn Golojuch and Hawaii’s 

Obama campaign 

Friend and former member of Humanists Hawaii, 

Carolyn Golojuch answers a plea for Obama campaign 

donations: 

Carolyn -- 

. . . so-called 527 groups . . . are preparing to attack 

Barack and Michelle Obama . . . Given the money that 

527s are raising, it will take unprecedented resources 

to get the truth out there. 

The reporting deadline is just a few hours away, at 

midnight tonight. Make a donation of $25 now . . . 

David, 

Before you ask me anything else, please tell me 

where the Obama group was for the Honolulu Pride 

Parade, 6/28/08? Until we see changes, there's 

nothing that can be said for me to donate $ to this 

campaign. I sent an email to Brian Schartz and Andy 

Winer about the parade. The only Democratic 

response was from the GLBT Caucus of the Hawaii 

Democratic Party. There wasn't one elected Democrat 

or one Democrat running for office in the parade or at 

the festival. At the festival, they would have been 

some what out of the public eye but even that was too 

out for them. So the Democrats are missing in action. 

That's no change . . . 

Dr. John Spangler on a 

woman’s health options 

Humanists Hawaii member and respected 

physician John Spangler was interviewed by Melissa 

Moniz for the “Doctor in the House” column of the June 

25 th MidWeek. Here are some sample questions and 

answers: 

How long have you been practicing? Since 1966. 

How long have you been practicing in Hawaii? Since 

1972. 

What do you think has been the biggest change in OB/ 

GYN since you started? 

Well, of course, abortion. That was against the law 

when I started. So that’s changed in the past 25 to 30 

years. That’s kind of a big thing. There’ve been new 

drugs and new procedures, but we still have the same 

body. We also can detect whether someone has a 

venereal disease when we do the Pap smears now. 

That’s something brand new in the last couple years, 

whereas before we would have to do cultures and 

things. So that’s an improvement. 

. . . 

How much of your practice is with pregnancy, labor 

and post-delivery? 

Right now it’s only about 10%, but it used to be 25 to 

30%. As you get older you get less OB. I think it’s 

more fun delivering a baby than anything else. 

. . . 

What are the biggest on-the job challenges for you? 

Trying to get people to not get pregnant unless they 

want to. That’s a big challenge and a real concern for 

all of us. These people aren’t using anything, then they 

get pregnant and want an abortion. It would be nice if 

people would be more responsible and understand 

what they’re doing and have some consideration for 

their own body. For some reason, some people are not 

mature enough to know what they’re doing. Even 

things like smoking. I go by high schools and there’s a 

bunch of kids out front smoking . . . 

___________________________________________ 

Gallery on the Pali exhibit: 

Eye of the Beholder IV: 

Docent Council – Honolulu Academy Of Arts 

An exhibit of original artwork in various mediums: 

The Honolulu Academy of Arts docents are trained 

volunteer tour guides dedicated to furthering the 

public's understanding the Academy’s art collections 

and special exhibits. Many docents are also practicing 

artists, thus bringing the eye of an artist to those 

beholding art work .. This exhibit is the fourth biennial 

“Eye of the Beholder” docent art exhibit held at The 

Gallery on the Pali. Multiple artists will exhibit original 

art pieces in diverse medium

Hans van der Voort 

Hans van der Voort, husband of many-term 

Humanists Hawaii president Andi van der Voort, died 

July 10 th after suffering a battery of physical ills. More 

information to follow in the next July 2008 newsletter. 

__________________________________________ 

Largest yet same-sex weddings 

in California July 19th 

American Humanist Association 

On Saturday, July 19th, a pair of same-sex 

weddings will be performed before history's largest 

number of witnesses to such unions. The ceremonies 

will take place in this year's Annual LGBT Pride 

Parade in San Diego, California. Moreover, they will be 

nontheistic humanist weddings rather than traditional 

religious ones. 

The ceremonies will be held atop the parade float 

of the Humanist Association of San Diego, enabling 

the anticipated 150,000 Pride attendees to witness this 

celebration of GLBT marriage rights. Two marriages 

will be performed, gay and lesbian, by Humanist 

Celebrant Jason Frye, president of the Humanist 

Association of San Diego, a chapter of the American 

Humanist Association. The ceremonies will legally wed 

Danny Givens to Pilo Rocha and Kenya Graham to 

Celese Roberts. 

"A crowd of 150,000 can be overwhelming, but I 

hope the joy these couples feel will be more 

overwhelming still," said Frye. 

Since the California Supreme Court ruled that the 

state constitution prohibited laws that discriminate 

based on sexual orientation, the primary focus has 

been on same-sex marriages. "There are 1,138 legal 

benefits to marriage that were denied to gay couples," 

said Frye. "But now we are witnessing a new day in 

which lesbians and gays will finally be treated as 

full, American citizens." 

The American Humanist Association's Chapter 

Assembly was delighted to provide the funding to 

make the event possible. Speaking on their behalf, 

AHA Executive Director Roy Speckhardt said today, 

"Because of humanism's long tradition of supporting 

equal rights for all – not letting ancient religious ideas 

cloud moral sensibilities – it's only appropriate that 

humanists have taken the initiative in this action." 

_________________________________________ 

Humanism and the brave new world 

I call myself an atheist but am wary of saying 

"humanist", since I suspect that the latter term implies 

an inflated view of the "goal" of evolution. I embrace a 

future with highly genetically modified organisms 

(including humans) working with their silicon-based 

cousins (robots). 

--Ed Fisher, Scotts Valley CA 

In Humanist Network News 

Obama’s concession to faithbased 

programs unfortunate 

Council for Secular Humanism 

The Council for Secular Humanism regrets that 

Senator Barack Obama has seen fit to affirm a 

willingness to extend the unconstitutional faith-based 

diversion of tax dollars to religious institutions as 

begun by President Bush. “This is basically religious 

pandering,” said Ronald A. Lindsay, executive director 

of the Council for Secular Humanism. 

In a speech delivered today in Zanesville, Ohio, the 

Democratic candidate for president proposed that 

federal money diverted directly to churches, mosques 

and synagogues would promote a “bottom-up” 

approach to serving the nation’s underprivileged, 

regardless of the fact that the money taxed from the 

public is meant for secular purposes. And although he 

stressed that the money can only be used for secular 

programs, the result will be the same, as regular 

contributions not used for these programs are freed to 

proselytize, make building improvements and grow the 

faith community – a clear favoritism of believers over 

nonbelievers. 

“We find it regrettable that the current climate in the 

United States requires candidates, who obviously 

should know better, to promise grave compromises of 

the wall of separation between religion and 

government in order to even stand a chance of being 

elected to high office,” continued Lindsay. 

The Council is disappointed that Obama’s plan 

appears to allow federal funds to flow directly to 

houses of worship. "Not only does this impermissibly 

entangle religion and government, Obama's plan 

threatens the autonomy of religious bodies by allowing 

government intrusion directly into the activities of the 

house of worship," said Lindsay. "The audits, 

compliance reviews, and reporting requirements that 

the government will have to perform to account for the 

funds will threaten the autonomy and integrity of the 

house of worship." 

_________________________________________ 

Humanists Hawaii Officials 

President: David Mielke – 836-6303 

Newsletter@Hawaii.Humanists.net 

Secretary: Healani Mielke – 836-6303 


Treasurer: Marcia Lambeth – 955-2086 

Program Chair: We need a Program Chair! 

WebMaster: Mike Mueller – 926-9995 

WebMaster@Hawaii.Humanists.net 

Newsletter Editor: David Mielke – 836-6303 


See scheduled events, pictures of officers and 

current and archived newsletters at our website: 

http://hawaii.humanists.net/

The Humanist Perspective 

Coming Humanist Perspective shows on Olelo 

VIEWS channel 54 Sundays at 3:30 pm will be: 

“Fallibilism and Faith” paper comparing the 

methods of science and religion by Susan Haack, 

eminent author and professor of philosophy of science 

and other things at the University of Miami 

Sunday, July 20, 2008 

“The Happiness Myth, part 1” by Jennifer 

Michael Hecht, poet and historian, author of The 

Happiness Myth, History of Doubt, The End of the 

Soul. She begins a thoroughly invigorating work-up to 

actually discussing happiness in part 2. 

July 27, 2008 

“The Happiness Myth, part 2” Jennifer 

Michael Hecht, poet, historian, author, gets into the 

happiness section of her presentation. After historical 

discoveries, there’s a question and answer session.. 

Sunday, August 3, 2008 

“Humanism in Washington DC” with Toni 

Van Pelt, director and lobbyist of the Center for Inquiry 

Office of Public Policy discusses the challenges and 

satisfactions of lobbying secularism to Congress. 


“Is America a Christian Nation?” with David 

Koepsell and Steve Crampton. Koepsell, of the Center 

for Inquiry debates Steve Crampton, Chief Counsel of 

the American Family Association Center for Law & 

Policy, regarding the beliefs of US founding fathers. 


“Prospects for Secularizing Islam” with Ibn 

Warraq. Secularist Pakistani author of include Why I 

Am Not a Muslim (1995) and Quest for the Historical 

Muhammad and founder of the Institute for the 

Secularisation of Islamic Society (2000) discusses the 

possible future of Islam. 


“Humanism in Africa” with Norm Allen Jr. 

Secular missionary discusses how humanistic 

educators help to support the already existing secular 

feeling in various parts of Africa. 


If you cannot get Olelo over Oceanic Cable, it is 

also streamed over the internet. 

Our Humanism and Elections special aired on 

channel 54 June 19, 21, 28 and 30. Although its official 

broadcasts are pau, it deals with a current topic, so it 

may appear again at unscheduled times. 

_____________________________________________________________________________ 

Humanists Hawaii 

c/o David Mielke 

3033 Ala Napuaa Place #502 

Honolulu HI 96818 


The American Humanist Association (www.americanhumanist.org) is dedicated to ensuring a voice for 

those with a positive outlook, based on reason and experience, which embraces all of humanity.

Humanists Hawaii - Hawaii Humanists - Humanists Net

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